Having lost my preferred choice for a presidential candidate on Tuesday,
I determined that after a suitable period of mourning and reflection
the only viable option was to shake it off and begin the search anew,
the presumptive, media-anointed frontrunner not being desirable or
acceptable.

Last night, as part of this Quixote-like quest, I ventured into the
heretofore unexplored dimension of a Ron Paul rally and was witness to
something that can only be described as all parts exhilarating,
befuddling, encouraging, depressing, moving, maddening and, ultimately,
inspiring. More on all that later.

Over the years I have been to more political rallies, events, forums,
roundtables, discussion groups, debates and whatever than I care to
remember. While a whole range of adjectives from boring to thrilling
could be used to describe these events, I have never before been moved
to use contradictory metaphors for the same event. Attending a Ron Paul
campaign rally is a singularly unique experience. I have never seen
anything like it before. Perhaps phenomenal is the word that comes
closest in accuracy, not in the ordinary “awesome” sense, but in the
other-worldly, spatiotemporal sense.

A little truth in advertising first: I come from an old school of
conservatism, a hodgepodge of Strauss, Kirk, Buckley, Reagan and a
smattering of other modern day conservative thinkers who shaped my
thinking while coming of age in the midst of a persistent nuclear threat
during the so-called Cold War, replete with duck and cover, fallout
shelters and a young girl sitting in a meadow picking the petals off a
daisy. One is shaped by the world one is raised in and then, if playing
the game right, uses those experiences to shape the world for those who
will inherit it.

The purpose of this piece is not to analyze Mr. Paul’s specific
policies, although my worldview does not coalesce with his on many
fronts. I do not write this piece from the point of view of a longtime
Paul devotee, many of whom (and you know who you are) I have
exasperatingly debated over the fallacies I see in some (not all) of his
positions. Over the years, though, I have learned (much to my surprise
and dismay) that not everyone will agree with my positions on all things
and I often frustratingly find myself having internal disagreements
with my own stated beliefs. Such is the nature of evolving thought.

I have spoken before a lot of groups in the last several years as we
have all grappled with the seeming dissolution of our country. I have
half-jokingly said on many of these occasions that the other side
doesn’t really have to defeat us politically, they just have to wait for
us all to die off so they can implement their plans. My point has been
that the greatest issue facing the conservative cause is a demographical
one, a lack of diversity that will shortly render the conservative
message irrelevant. Where are the youth? I and others have asked. Where
are the people of color? Why doesn’t the conservative message resonate?

The answer to where they are could be found last night at the Will
Rogers Auditorium. Often at political events there is a sense of
excitement, anticipation, a certain buzz in the audience while waiting
for the main event. Excitement, anticipation and buzz are weak and
inadequate words to describe the pre-rally crowd last night. Energy is
even inadequate. What undulated through the thousands who thronged
outside before the doors opened last night was a kinetic power, the
power of hope, the power of liberation, the power of anger at a system
turned upside down, the power of liberation and, yes, the ultimate and
emancipating power of freedom. You had to be there to understand it.

Once inside, for the only time in my politically active life, I was
transported to a world I had not seen before. There was enough energy in
that room to power a skyscraper. Teenagers, college students, whites,
Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, middle-aged, elderly, every
racial, ethnic, socio-economic, cross cultural ingredient of the
American melting pot was there. The auditorium was a cauldron of
American citizens who understand and have grasped the true nature of the
tyranny which has befallen this nation, a conflagration, if you will,
of passion and anger and joy and determination. This is where the fire
starts this time. The eruption when Mr. Paul took the stage was
deafening.

While I didn’t find much to cheer about on the foreign policy portion of
his speech, it is on domestic policy that I find much agreement with
Ron Paul. In fact, he could have lifted whole tracks of his speech from
my book, Common Ground America. Foreign policy, while a crucial element
of any president’s agenda, has slowly shifted from my center of
attention to domestic policy, I having long come to the conclusion that
the greatest threat to American freedom comes not from foreign
governments, but from our own. Sadly, America has become one of the
least free nations on earth. Increasingly, everything in our lives is
being regulated by a faceless bureaucracy, to a degree that neither
Orwell nor Huxley could have imagined. Want to add a room onto your
house? Get permission. Want to get married? Get permission. Want to open
a business? Get permission. Want to fly a flag in your front yard? Get
permission. Want to own a gun? Get permission. Want to open a lemonade
stand? Get permission. Want to play Frisbee on the beach? Get fined.
Want to preach politics from the pulpit? Get fined. Want to protest your
government without permission? Get arrested.

We have become a nation of regulations and licenses and permits, fines
and punishment and intimidation by a remorseless, uncaring government.
We have become, as Dylan sang in 1971, “One big prison yard”, in which
our guards are always watching, always monitoring, always snooping,
always threatening, always ready to swoop in with a fine or a cuff or a
taser or a bullet should we wander outside the boundaries of what is
allowed. The IRS can now revoke your passport should you owe too much on
your taxes, making you not just a literal prisoner but a figurative one
as well. It has been so long since we were truly free that we don’t
even recognize it anymore. Freedom is slowly being snuffed out in
American.

Obamacare is only the latest affront to freedom. While lawyers and
pundits debate the constitutionality of this provision or that, what
goes unstated is the insidious evil of the bill itself. Your very body,
your existence, you own life will now belong to the state should
Obamacare stand. If your physical body belongs to the state, how then is
American freedom defined?

What exactly is our national security securing? Certainly not our
liberty. We have been sacrificing ever larger chucks of our liberty to
the gods of security for decades now and in the interests of securing
our liberty have given it all away. Go to an airport if you want to
witness the loss of liberty in all its glorious humiliation. One wonders
if we actually were taken over by another power and our Constitution
dismantled what exactly could they do to restrict our movements, monitor
our activities and control our actions that would be any worse or
oppressive than what our own government is doing right now?

This part of Mr. Paul’s message, if I have interpreted it correctly, is
what resonates with me. All the other things pale in contrast to our
becoming a nation of slaves.

Can Mr. Paul become the next president of the United States? At the risk
of inflaming his supporters, I must say I doubt it. The media’s message
is that he no longer exists, the question is settled and Mr. Romney is
the Republican nominee. It is true Mr. Paul’s most ardent supporters are
strenuously working at the precinct level to tilt the delegate count at
the Republican convention in his favor. Do they have the numbers to
pull that off? I don’t know. But knowing the ones involved locally I
would guess their chances are better than 50/50. Will that type of
organized effort be successful in enough states nationwide to put Mr.
Paul over the top? Your guess is as good as mine. I’m not even going
there.

So what did I come away with last night? It can be captured in one
picture. Before Mr. Paul was introduced, part of his family took the
stage: his wife, one of his sons, a smattering of cousins, nieces and
nephews. That picture tells us all we need to know. They are us. They
weren’t pulled from central casting, exquisitely coifed and finely
tailored, prepped and ready for the cameras. No. They are a family. They
are us.

Where personally do I go now? As I said, I have more internal debates
than an outwardly sane person should admit. For over three years now I
have been looking for an army - an army to take on the anti-Americans,
the Communists, the statists, the outright criminals running our
government. An army of citizens fiercely devoted to liberty and the
founding principles of America. One rose up three years ago but slowly
faded away. As I looked around the room last night, I saw a lot of faces
I recognized from the past, from the ghost army that either became
dispirited or no longer believed in the message. So this is where you
all went….

The flame of liberty’s torch is no longer just slowly being
extinguished. Each day brings new Executive Orders, new laws, new
regulations, each more ominous than the last. Corruption in our
government and our financial markets is rampant. The disease of
dependency is infecting every layer of society. America is dying. We
need an army of citizens, motivated and committed, to restore liberty in
America, to breathe new life, new vibrancy into a nation on life
support. We will not return our nation’s vitality with lawyers. We will
not be prescribed the cures for our ailments by opportunistic
politicians pedaling the latest edition of What Will It Take to Buy Your
Vote. We simply will not. America is on the brink of flatlining.

Yay! for you!! Spread the word.
He is our nation's best, if not last, true hope.

I too do not believe in absolutely everything Dr. Paul stands for politically, but the majority of his message reflects my beliefs & ideals, which I like to think are also pretty much in line with the Constitution.
Our nation's government is waaaaaay out of line, too big, too powerful, too over-reaching, too controlling over our daily lives.

I think that The People are not free. Were we ever? I don't know, but not if we ever were it was so long ago that no one remembers it & we've all just bought the propaganda that this is what freedom looks like.

I also believe that Dr. Paul is the one candidate who can actually beat Obama. There are so many from every direction who are hearing his message & would "jump ship" from their registered party were he on the national ballot in November that Obama wouldn't have a chance. My mother, a die-hard, life-long Democrat who can't imagine ever aligning herself with Republicans in any way & is completely sick of the in-fighting over which "side" has control over The People & all of the lobby-pandering that goes on by both parties, has actually re-registered as a Republican so that she can vote Ron Paul in her state's caucus & is ready to sign on as a delega...

Yay! for you!! Spread the word.
He is our nation's best, if not last, true hope.

I too do not believe in absolutely everything Dr. Paul stands for politically, but the majority of his message reflects my beliefs & ideals, which I like to think are also pretty much in line with the Constitution.
Our nation's government is waaaaaay out of line, too big, too powerful, too over-reaching, too controlling over our daily lives.

I think that The People are not free. Were we ever? I don't know, but not if we ever were it was so long ago that no one remembers it & we've all just bought the propaganda that this is what freedom looks like.

I also believe that Dr. Paul is the one candidate who can actually beat Obama. There are so many from every direction who are hearing his message & would "jump ship" from their registered party were he on the national ballot in November that Obama wouldn't have a chance. My mother, a die-hard, life-long Democrat who can't imagine ever aligning herself with Republicans in any way & is completely sick of the in-fighting over which "side" has control over The People & all of the lobby-pandering that goes on by both parties, has actually re-registered as a Republican so that she can vote Ron Paul in her state's caucus & is ready to sign on as a delegate for him. I think that were his message... his ACTUAL message... better known, many others would do the same.

Keep spreading the word, my fellow countryman. The Constitution is supposed to be the bedrock that our nation is built upon. If we continue in the direction we're going now... continuing to allow either mainstream party to remain in power... we will see the demise of our nation in our lifetime.

I shake my head in disbelief when I think how long Ron Paul has been around and wonder where all those Tea Party followers and winning candidates have gone since 2010. I don't see most of them endorsing or supporting Ron Paul. He should be winning the primaries by a landslide. He is the only real conservative out there. Why are we giving our freedoms away to Progressives? Where are you Patriots? Where have all the Christians gone?

4 months ago I decided for the first time, sad to say, in 50 years of voting I really researched the candidates to quickly see so clearly Ron Paul was the only one who stood alone for the constitution and liberty. On those issues I didn't understand I left and researched till the puzzle fit together so I could sense and see the truth in what Dr. Paul was saying. Foreign policy many do not understand because they will not take the time to research what Ron Paul is saying. We must take a close, realistic approach until we have a foundation of what truly is going on. Our forefathers probably were looked as as terrorists to Great Britain and some American colonists I think were content enough to lose their liberties to Great Britain then lose their comfort or lives for the revolution.

IF you don't like America being invaded by foreign powers, occupied, bombed, destructed, stolen of resources, getting Americans under martial law, rounded up and being tortured... you should watch this vid to understand something MSM will not tell you.

I too used to be opposed to his foreign policy. Until I realized that our foreign policy is identical to our domestic policy, and our "security" on both fronts is mirrored.

When NDAA, indefinite detention, assassination and "grounds" for the loss of citizenship by edict of the President became defacto....I woke up.

I began to question: If we are outraged by the deaths of almost 3000 civilians on 911; I wonder how the families and communities feel about the tens and tens of thousands of "collateral damage" that were not involved in our "conflict" and had nothing to do with our war on terrorism...they just happened to be in the wrong place wrong time....just like our 911 casualties.

I then asked myself, what if my friends, family and countrymen were attacked, killed or wounded by a foreign foe, appearing with guiltless justifications in their minds...how would I feel or react.

Oh yeah, I know exactly how they would...just like I did on 9/11. And I wanted to exact retribution....I stood with George Bush and supported the actions taken post 911.

I then was forced to ask....so those who suffered at our hands, by no fault of their own....how would they greet me and my countrymen after that? Then it daw...

Good article!

I only became a supporter of Ron Paul in September 2011.

I too used to be opposed to his foreign policy. Until I realized that our foreign policy is identical to our domestic policy, and our "security" on both fronts is mirrored.

When NDAA, indefinite detention, assassination and "grounds" for the loss of citizenship by edict of the President became defacto....I woke up.

I began to question: If we are outraged by the deaths of almost 3000 civilians on 911; I wonder how the families and communities feel about the tens and tens of thousands of "collateral damage" that were not involved in our "conflict" and had nothing to do with our war on terrorism...they just happened to be in the wrong place wrong time....just like our 911 casualties.

I then asked myself, what if my friends, family and countrymen were attacked, killed or wounded by a foreign foe, appearing with guiltless justifications in their minds...how would I feel or react.

Oh yeah, I know exactly how they would...just like I did on 9/11. And I wanted to exact retribution....I stood with George Bush and supported the actions taken post 911.

I then was forced to ask....so those who suffered at our hands, by no fault of their own....how would they greet me and my countrymen after that? Then it dawned on me....those to whom I and they were previously oblivious to each other's existence, are now keenly aware and they bid me no well wishing and I would worry they might want to exact retribution to us.

I have always been behind Ron Paul on his foreign policy stand. Why? Because I was in Vietnam. I was told that we had to stop Communism or it would spread through out the Far East. Noting could have been further from he truth. We have not fought an honorable war since WWII. I returned from Vietnam with a screwed up head and more than likely I will die with a screwed up head. Vietnam had nothing to do with Communism. Ho Chi Minh only turned to China in desperation. All he wanted was his country back from France and the U.S. We pulled out come home with out tails between out legs and in the process buried 59,000 of our young men and women. And how far has Communism spread in Vietnam since we departed? Not one inch. Oh but we now have to attack Iraq and Afghanistan, you know those awful terrorist. No tell it like it is. We have to attack them because of the Petrodollar. No Ron Paul is as right as rain on this issue.

Welcome Home, Bill!! Army. 167th. Sig. Co., 54th. Sig Bn. Engineer Hill. Pleiku. Feb 68- May 69. Had the same epiphany you did while there. Mine was not long after I got there. Was on guard duty. Saw VC mortar crew dumping on the ARVN camp about a click away. Called it in. The OD told me not to fire on them. I said Why TF not!!! He said "you might draw their fire on us". I said WTF we doing here then??? STUPID WAR!!! Pardon me, I mean "Police Action!"

As you I will also be at the National Convention as a delegate from GA. I got up out of my chair and I decided to do something. I did not think I had a hats chance of going all the way to the National Convention as a delegate. But by the grace of god and speaking from my heart I made it. I am bound to Newt but if he drops out or fails to receive 35% of the vote then I become a free agent and will be voting Ron Paul. I truly believe that something great is going to happen at the National Convention. So keep the faith and do not give up. If we loose then we loose but we have not lost yet. Do not believe the Main Stream Media. If we do then we can pack it in right now.

There are 190 countries in the world. America has bases in 130 of them.
The only reason we are in Afghanistan and Iraq is because of 9/11. But if you youtube Building 7 (which was not hit by a plane, debris and office fires dont melt steel) and watch it fall neatly into its own footprint....then you start to see the BIG PICTURE of collusion. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Afghanistan had nothing to do with 9/11. In fact, the idea that a bunch of arabs with bx cutters who couldnt even fly a cesna were able to pull off flying a jumbo het with military precision is laughable. So why are we there? 3 words RICH MEN'S WARS. If Iraq's largest export was pecans.....we would not be there. If Afghanistans largest export was almonds and not heroin...we would not be there. Same with Libya. Same with Syria. Just youtube Welch's speech at John Birch Society. You need to understand real history to truly comprehend Dr. Paul's foreign policy. The same plutocrats who run the private Federal Reserve and the same people who are on the APEX of the military industrial complex. They are the same people who finance the political campaigns and send gift wrapped bribes via lobbyists.

9/11 was another "Lavon Affair" (look it up).
Everything after that is just rich men hoarding commodities to further the agenda of the new world order.

Must be fun for the crew of that ship... "Hey! I'm on Condoleeza Rice right now, I'll have to call you back!"

So, now with all the natural gas we're fracking up in the US, regardless of its reprocussions to our land, air & water, we should see an end to US bullying of other energy-resource-rich nations, right??Ha!Keep dreaming.

I am not diminishing the adverse effects fracking has on local areas or regions.

But i am saying that chem trails covers a wide range of destruction from changing PH in soil to contaminating water, food, etc.

If you want new material- here you go. A press release from the DOD website with an interview with the Sec of Defense talking about utilizing special technology (created by Nikola Tesla) to control the weather and induce volcanos, earthquakes, etc

Pay special attn to this line: "Others are engaging even in an eco- type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves. " The united states is using your tax money (Ronald Regan Grace Commision report) to fund military industrial complex projects like HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research project) which essentially beams billions of watts of microwaves into the sky to heat up ...the atmoshphere which raises the Ionisphere essentially distorting the jet stream. You can also redirect the waves (some say by using the X37B ) into the ground causing earthquakes and volcanos. Why is this important? MIT was watching Fukushima the weeks before the large earthquake and noticed anomolies centered NOT OVER TH...

I am not diminishing the adverse effects fracking has on local areas or regions.

But i am saying that chem trails covers a wide range of destruction from changing PH in soil to contaminating water, food, etc.

If you want new material- here you go. A press release from the DOD website with an interview with the Sec of Defense talking about utilizing special technology (created by Nikola Tesla) to control the weather and induce volcanos, earthquakes, etc

Pay special attn to this line: "Others are engaging even in an eco- type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves. " The united states is using your tax money (Ronald Regan Grace Commision report) to fund military industrial complex projects like HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research project) which essentially beams billions of watts of microwaves into the sky to heat up ...the atmoshphere which raises the Ionisphere essentially distorting the jet stream. You can also redirect the waves (some say by using the X37B ) into the ground causing earthquakes and volcanos. Why is this important? MIT was watching Fukushima the weeks before the large earthquake and noticed anomolies centered NOT OVER THE TECTONIC PLATES but directly over the nuclear plant. Link here:

If you correlate this data with the HAARP website, you will see the HUGE uptick in HAARP usage a week before and a week after the Fukushima earthquake. Any youtube search can show you screen shots of this. So why did the plutocrats in Amerikkka greenlight the attack on Japan? because Japan's central bank would not release YEN onto the market to stabilize the dollar. So, the plutocratic world despotism gave the Japanese monarchy a reason. Days after the carnage, Trillions of YEN were released. You need to understand things in simple terms.... humanity was created by Annunaki. And we were abandoned. Read Zechariah Sitchen’s books. Then you can learn about how all religions truly evolved into what they are today. You can learn about how every religion was
co-opted by the world despotism (plutocrats). Islam was a religion of peace co-opted by British/Zionist and turned into Wahhabism. Christianity was co-opted by the Romans into Roman Catholicism. Judaism was co-opted by the rich men into Zionism.

So the best way to conquer is to divide your enemy. Therefore an enemy of my enemy is my friend but if your enemy has no enemies, how will you divide them? Well, you create an enemy for your enemy to fight. False flag military operations.

Onto your questions about space….just ask Buzz Aldrin about the massive building on Mar’s moon Phobos:

So, here's the deal:the plutocrats control everything; they have powerful weapons that literally move the earth, interrupt weather patterns, essentially create chaos & havoc where they will. The mass rape of N & S America, Africa, Australia & parts of Europe to strip the earth of its resources as quickly as is humanly possible does two things: increases the wealth & power of those at the pinnacle & leaves the earth itself in shambles so that it will soon be uninhabitable. Religion has always been a way to control the masses... either through fear of said god, or fear of those who do not follow the same religion.So, now we've laid down the situation. If all this is true, then what is there to do about it? It's obviously been exposed... if you know about & I know about it & a bazillion people on YouTube know about it, then it's been exposed. So....what's next?

I am at a loss for words, which doesn't happen that often! :D
As I'm sitting here reading this story and it brought back all the feeling I was having when I drove 2 hours to UC Berkeley to hear/see Dr. Paul. The anticipation, excitment, liberation just waiting for a "politician" to come on stage! It was like being at a concert, only 100% better, and it only cost me $0 for a ticket to see him :D Being at a RP rally also brought up feelings of anger, sadness, & being afraid of what might happen if Dr. Paul keeps being blanketed (covered up, which they do so well) be the MSM/government. Where will we be then? What will happen to Our Children? What about Our Freedom? Our Rights? Our Individuality that makes US the UNITED STATES of AMERICA?! I am just greatful that he shared his story. He was honest about having internal debates about certain issues, and that he has now gone from, SHEEP - WOLF and we have heard him Howl! Lol We welcome you to the R3volution Adrian Murray! <3 Peace~n~Love

Oh Brother... that was long! I'd love if you would be able to put it into a video. Please do so! Please! It's worth spreading and I assure you that in this country the 1st vehicle to spread a message IS VIDEO! This long reading is likely to be skipped by many... but a well done video will be viewed by millions. Please, Please, Please... turn this beautiful personal reflection into something that will be able to spread faster post it on Youtube, Video and any streaming media you can! Then share it on reddit, twitter, facebook and any social network you can... perhaps it will drive many more towards at least learning about the cause of liberties and we the people that Dr. Paul stands for.

I cheated having "Text to Speech" do the reading faster... and that's also why I would suggest you put it at least in a video where the viewers will be able to listen to the message instead of having to read it... unfortunately many who do need to hear this message are not the best or fastest readers and are put off immediately by long texts (and I am the worst offender in reading laziness). Also new generations are much more visual and interactive and will reach higher impact when using a media other than written word... just my 2¢ which I hope will serve to spread the message further.

Why are so many peoples comments being "Moderated..."? Some people actually want to read what others have to say. My previous comment was "moderated" and then my account was deleted. I support Ron Paul, but apparently whoever is monitoring these comments doesn't support freedom of speech!

I have long considered Santorum and Paul the only two "real" candidates in the primary. Everyone else just represents the statist quo.

They both represent very different ideas, but at least they're different than what we have now. And what we have had for a very long time. (Trying to trace its roots is an excellent way to waste time).